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The weather-predicting myth of the Woolly Bear has been passed down since colonial times. The folklore holds that when you see a caterpillar in autumn, the thicker the reddish-brown stripe, the milder the winter ahead. If its coloration is dominated by the thicker black bands, then we’re in for a doozy of a winter.

A message from our friends at Threshold Podcast.

A message from our friends at Threshold Podcast.

On this lazy Sunday just outside Missoula, I can hear only two cranes from the former flock. Perhaps these are the late sleepers, the teenagers, left by the wayside as the larger family group launched back to the migratory grind and headed north to their breeding grounds. Spring is the season of courtship, and what I’m listening to may well be the first pairing of lovers who will mate for life.

Found in the eastern portion of the United States, deathwatch beetles typically inhabit the hardwood timbers of old buildings or the decaying wood of very old trees. The larvae bore into the wood, feeding for anywhere from one to ten years before pupating and emerging as an adult. And while their wood-boring lifestyle can weaken the structural integrity of some infested buildings, if you believe the superstition, that’s the least of your worries.

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Prince Shakur, activist, organizer, and author of ‘When They Tell You to Be Good’ (Tin House Books).

Republicans try to silence transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr. Anti-trans bills are on their way to becoming law. Lawmakers table a bill to create a one-time "jungle primary" in next year's Senate race. The defeat of that bill may have political fallout for Senator Steve Daines.

Aside from looking like a seed in shape, coloration, and size, the Australian Walking Stick’s eggs have evolved to have their own detachable cap (called a capitulum) that’s also prized by the hungry ants.

This week on ‘The Write Question,’ we return to host Lauren Korn’s 2022 conversation with the current U. S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón, author of ‘The Hurting Kind’ (Milkweed Editions). Note: At the time of this conversation Ada hadn’t yet been named U. S. Poet Laureate.

Looking much like a roly-poly, a unique species of marine isopod is known to parasitize eight species of fish. And while it is not uncommon for fish to have parasites, this species is the only known pest to replace a host’s organ. Which organ, you might ask? We present, the tongue-eating louse.